Washington paychecks in 2026: what changed
Washington still has no income tax on wages in 2026, but the paid family leave premium rose and the minimum wage went up. Here is what changed.
The changes
- New federal withholding tables. The IRS updated Publication 15-T for 2026, including changes from the 2025 tax law. The standard deduction is $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, and $24,150 head of household.
- Social Security wage base: $184,500 (up from $176,100). If you earn more, Social Security stops later in the year.
- Tips and overtime deductions for 2025–2028 — see below.
- Paid family leave premium: 1.13% of wages (up from 0.92% in 2025), with employees paying 71.43% of it, on wages up to $184,500.
- WA Cares: still 0.58% of wages. Nonimmigrant work-visa holders are exempt automatically from January 1, 2026.
- Washington minimum wage: $17.13 from January 1, 2026.
Tips and overtime in 2026
New federal deductions apply for 2025 through 2028: up to $25,000 for qualified tips, and up to $12,500 ($25,000 for joint filers) for the extra "half" of time-and-a-half overtime. Both phase out above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint).
These are deductions on your tax return. Your employer still takes Social Security and Medicare out of tips and overtime, and still withholds income tax unless you tell it otherwise. If you expect to claim them, you can put the expected amount in Step 4(b) of your W-4 (and in the Step 4(b) box above) so less income tax is withheld during the year.
Work out your 2026 Washington paycheck →
Other Washington calculators
Paycheck calculator · Hourly paycheck calculator · Salary paycheck calculator · What changed for 2026
Other states: Alabama · Alaska · Arizona · California · Colorado · Connecticut · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Minnesota · Missouri · Nevada · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Oklahoma · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Carolina · South Dakota · Tennessee · Texas · Utah · Virginia · Wisconsin · Wyoming
Sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- IRS — tips and overtime deductions
- Washington Department of Revenue — Income tax — Washington does not currently have an individual income tax
- Washington ESD — PFML premium rate for 2026 — 1.13%; employees pay 71.43%
- Washington ESD — Paid Leave employer wage reporting and premiums toolkit (2026) — PFML 1.13% × 71.43% employee share up to $184,500; WA Cares 0.58% of gross wages, no cap
- WA Cares Fund — Exemptions
- Washington L&I — Workers' compensation rates notice — workers pay half of medical aid, Stay at Work and supplemental pension premiums
- Washington L&I — 2026 minimum wage — $17.13 from January 1, 2026
- Washington L&I — Overtime — 1.5× after 40 hours in a week; no daily overtime
- Washington L&I — Minimum wage and tips poster (F700-150-000) — no tip credit; paydays at least monthly; final wages on the next regular payday
- Seattle Office of Labor Standards — Minimum wage
- City of Tukwila — Minimum wage